Music Blogs

There I was sitting in my TV room watching the cinematic masterpiece known as Baby Mama when I heard a song that caught my ear. I quickly sprung into action, grabbed my iPhone and used my handy-dandy Shazam app to identify the song and the artist. Turns out the song in question was "Be Gently With Me" by a band called The Boy Least Likely To. Check out the video below, which features Rashida Jones, the actress daughter of Quincy Jones, who stars alongside Amy Poehler in the new NBC sitcom Parks & Recreation. That's the same Amy Poehler that was in Baby Mama. Coincidence? Perhaps.

Strangely enough, days after hearing that song in the movie I discovered that The Boy Least Likely To had a new album, The Law Of The Playground, which has since been released. Here's the clip for "A Balloon On A Broken String," a fine track from the new album.

Formed in 2002, The Boy Least Likely To is a British duo comprising singer/lyricist Jof Owen and multi-instrumentalist/composer Pete Hobbs. In order to release their music, the pair founded its own indie label, Too Young To Die. In 2005, the Boy released its debut album The Best Party Ever, which included "Be Gently With Me." The album was released Stateside a year later to much acclaim. To me the Boy Least Likely To sound like the missing link between great Scots Belle & Sebastian and one-hit wonders the Proclaimers. Like both of those bands, The Boy Least Likely To might be a bit too precious and fey for some, but if you let your guard down, you just might find yourself humming their catchy and clever tunes. Here's the video clip for "Every Goliath Has Its David," another track from the Boy's new album.

At the beginning of that clip you may have caught a glimpse of the toy tank and the little red stuffed bird that graces the cover of The Law Of The Playground. One would assume that the band simply found those toys around the house, borrowed them from a young family member or maybe picked them up at a thrift shop, but a quick visit to the band's blog reveals that the Boy's skills go beyond music. In two blog posts, the band explains how the bird and the tank were created from scratch specifically for the album cover. The band went to one of their brothers and various others for help, but still I find the detail and thought that went into the creation of this album cover impressive. With that sort of thought and care going into every little detail, as well as their memorable tunes, I think the Boy Least Likely To might be one of the most likely new acts to find a following. How about you?